Stern: NBA doesn't need gun-toting cowboys
www.chinaview.cn 2006-10-26 14:15:58
BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Country western singer Johnny Cash
sang a
song where a mother pleaded with her young son Billy Joe, who had visions
of
being a famous gunslinger: "Don't take your guns to town son, leave your
guns at
home Bill, don't take your guns to town." The young man didn't listen to
his
mother, took his guns to town and died in a gunfight.
Now NBA commissioner David Stern is singing the same refrain. He
understands
having a gun at home for protection, but why take a gun to town?
"It's a pretty, I think, widely accepted statistic that if you carry a
gun,
your chances of being shot by one increase dramatically," Stern said
during his
preseason conference call on Wednesday. “We think this is an alarming
subject,
that although you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in
fact
those guns actually make them less safe. And it's a real issue."
It's an alarming subject because Indiana Pacer Stephen Jackson
recently shot
a gun in the air at least five times outside an Indianapolis strip club on
Oct.
6. He originally told police he fired in self-defense during a fight in
which he
was hit by a car.
Although the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement permits players to
own
licensed guns, they can't carry them on any league or team business. Stern
was
asked what NBA rule on carrying firearms would he prefer?
"I would favor being able to have a firearm to protect your home.
Period,"
he replied.
He added that walking the streets carrying guns was "dangerous for our
players," but said there has been no further discussion with the union
about
strengthening the policy.
Union spokesman Dan Wasserman said it already was bolstered in last
year's
agreement, at the request of the league.
"In response to issues raised by the NBA during bargaining last year,"
he
said, "a provision was added to the collective bargaining agreement that
subjects the players to discipline if they bring any kind of firearm, even
if
it's licensed, to an NBA arena, practice facility, or even a team or
league.
offsite promotional appearance."
Wasserman also said that the dangers of firearms are discussed during
the
rookie transition program, where players are "informed of the legalities
of it,
what you can or can't do, and the pros of cons of having a weapon are
discussed
extensively."
|
